Try Revolver, a fairly decent movie talking directly about the elimination of the Self (in an Asura realm, if you like).

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

"And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]

The old "Kung Fu" series from the 1970s with David Carradine holds up very well.

Each episode is a morality play or a story with a positive, educational theme. The protagonist, the Shaolin Buddhist monk who is a fugitive conveys that there is nothing finer than meditation and being free from desire, but he also has tremendous strength within worldly terms but is restrained in its use. Good lessons and interesting stories.

In reading the scriptures, there are two kinds of mistakes:One mistake is to cling to the literal text and miss the inner principles.The second mistake is to recognize the principles but not apply them to your own mind, so that you waste time and just make them into causes of entanglement.

hello, are there any good buddhist movies besides the hollywood buddhist movies like seven years in tibet. ive seen spring summer fall winter spring or whatever it is i forgot what its like. any recommedations? that are theravadan? metta, befriend

to practice patience with others rough speech, perceive there words as only sound, patience is the path to nibbana.

As far as actually addressing Buddhist issues I think thatWhy Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?: A Zen Fablehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097195/ is truly excellent. Not so easy to watch as Samsara, or Spring ...since there's little action, no sex, no attempt at being entertaining, but it's well worth the effort.

Horrible Bosses was funnier than I thought it would be and I'd recommend it for a good laugh.

Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger was surprisingly good too (even has a "re-incarnation" sub-plot of sorts).

And the HBO series Bored To Death is almost as good as Curb Your Enthusiasm.

May you all grow fat with unbounded friendliness.DanieLion

I watched Pasolini's Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom at a friend's house on Christmas, of all things. Nothing I would've picked myself, but it wasn't my choice what we watched after dinner. And while the film itself is pretty difficult to watch, I found it surprisingly thought-provoking and well-made. (I wrote some of my thoughts about it here, if anyone's interested).

Horrible Bosses was funnier than I thought it would be and I'd recommend it for a good laugh.

Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger was surprisingly good too (even has a "re-incarnation" sub-plot of sorts).

And the HBO series Bored To Death is almost as good as Curb Your Enthusiasm.

May you all grow fat with unbounded friendliness.DanieLion

I watched Pasolini's Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom at a friend's house on Christmas, of all things. Nothing I would've picked myself, but it wasn't my choice what we watched after dinner. And while the film itself is pretty difficult to watch, I found it surprisingly thought-provoking and well-made. (I wrote some of my thoughts about it here, if anyone's interested).

Jason, what a nice family movie to watch on Christmas

DanieLion, something almost as good as Curb Your Enthusiasm must be very good indeed. I'll check that out. Thanks.

I saw "Borat" recently. The movie is pure genius. "Bruno" is also very good. I also recently finished an entire Seinfeld marathon.

He turns his mind away from those phenomena, and having done so, inclines his mind to the property of deathlessness: 'This is peace, this is exquisite — the resolution of all fabrications; the relinquishment of all acquisitions; the ending of craving; dispassion; cessation; Unbinding.' (Jhana Sutta - Thanissaro Bhikkhu translation)

I watched true Grit with Jeff Bridges, and The King's Speech with Colin Firth and Geoffrey rush.The former is very faithful to the original with John Wayne, save for the last scene.

the latter - The king's Speech - is to my mind, matchless, and what true, british film-making is all about.Quality without the shmalz.

If my good American friends will forgive me, there is - or certainly has been, up to the recent past - a tendency to try to go for the happy, righteous ending.... for example, I have heard - from those who have seen the original films in Swedish, and the more recent English version - that 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' is very tailored to American audiences in its presentation.But having seen neither, I cannot vouch for this. However, as this specific film was discussed on a Buddhist forum, I cannot imagine they were being dishonest in their appraisal and verdict.....

Oh, I definitely wouldn't 'recommend' this movie, as it's not something many people would probably enjoy or even be able to appreciate. I simply was surprised by how much I admired it considering the subject matter.

The underlying themes and the way Pasolini crafted this film are quite extraordinary, in my opinion. Unfortunately, many of these will not be obvious unless you have some familiarity with things like the historical context (i.e., de Sade's novel being placed in fascist Italy), Pasolini's views and criticisms as a leftist intellectual regarding fascism and bourgeois society (e.g., the shit-banquet was essentially a grotesque and vivid commentary on the processed food industry), and film theory (e.g., if you don't really pay attention to how the final scenes are constructed, you'd never probably notice how it places you, the viewer, into the position of the four libertines, and what this implies).

If you choose to watch it, do so at your own discretion. It's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Last edited by Jason on Sat Dec 31, 2011 2:44 am, edited 1 time in total.